due to a scheduling snafu, this was actually going to be tuesdays post. since it was already up, i figured id leave it, but check back tomorrow and it might make a little more sense.

continuing with yesterdays theme, weve brought you another “6 minute epic” that keeps you guessing all the way through. this years “bitte orca” by dirty projectors has definitively made its way into my best albums of the year list. the group has a way of taking complicated melodies and unusual instrumentation that dont seem to make much sense at first and turning them into something thats very digestible and seemingly simple. perhaps their best instrument is the combined voice of the lovely ladies in the group. their voices work so well together to provide another instrument thats almost always in 3 part harmony.

“useful chamber” is the de-facto title track of the album, and its pretty easy to see why. the track is broken into so many pieces that even though its 6 and half minutes, it feels like much less. and even though they play a supporting role, this song is all about the gals and their voices. after the first instance of the chorus where you find out that this really is the title track, the girls come back with those harmonies and repeat the very same synth melody that the song began with (is that even a synth?), but with loud and almost harsh “ahhhhhs” and then suddenly and without any warning they do a complete 180 and change their tone to one thats completely calm and soothing. and just when theyve got you in the comfort zone, they switch it up again. whats so interesting about this song is that its really just a verse chorus verse song, but they way they switch things up, it feels like every theme is brand new.

dirty projectors – useful chamber


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